Fantôme Saison D'Erezée - Hiver | Brasserie Fantôme

Notes / Commercial Description:
Fantome's winter offering, available December through March or so. Brewer Dany Prignon changes his receipes every year, so we can't so for sure what this year's beer will be like, but it is sure to please lovers of Dany's beers.

User Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by mocktm:

750 Ml bottle, into a tulip. Have a few of these in the cellar, decided to pop one open for a day of football.

Murky and cloudy brown color, a bit dirty looking, with a small cap of white colored head. Retention is there as is some lacing.

Smells an odd mix of tartness and floral, boasting considerably more hop presence than the original Fantome does. The barnyard funk is there, but isn't as pronounced. Hints of light fruit (apple?) and some winter spice as well (clove, nutmeg, cinnamon?) Who knows, Danny will never tell.

I can definitely tell that this is the winter varietal, as with the nose, there is a larger emphasis on spice and hops, resulting in a heavier feeling beer overall. The tartness and funk are there, but a bit overwhelmed in my opinion which is a shame since its what really sets Fantome apart from other Saisons.

Medium bodied, but fuller than the original, which is to be expected I suppose. Properly carbonated as well.

The original Fantome remains my favorite, but I'm not going to penalize this for being different. It's certainly enjoyable, but I can't but feel a bit disappointed.

More User Reviews:

Only my second offering from Fantome,poured a hazy deep amber with a big fluffy slightly off white head that takes its time as it settles leaving a creamy mass.Whoa dont like the aromas there is funk and then there is nasty funk almost skunked and barnyard "stuff" when taking first whiffs that was a major turn off.The flavors do not reflect the funkiness of the aromas though dried fruits,prunes and raisins the Belgian yeast is quite perevalent as well with atouch of iron in the finish as well.Nice full creamy mouthfeel that goes down smooth oh so smooth.Damn if the aromas were not so out there is woulld be sublime as it is its a fine beer in it self.

Appearance  This one is orange in the body with a light brown haziness to it. The head was thick and white and very fluffy with some good retention.

Smell  The deep, rich malts opened up nicely right from the pour. They were complimented with a good, raw, lemon aroma that wasnt too big or sour. Some light, leafy bittering hops rounded out the nose. The farmhouse flavors so common in this style were subtle but present throughout.

Taste  This one has a good, yeasty backbone to it. There are some good light fruits in the middle such as oranges and lime. The finish is bitter and herbal like a fine European tea.

Mouthfeel  This one is medium-bodied with some modest tart sensations at the front of the tongue. I thought it was a bit flat, though.

Drinkability  I like my Saisons tart and lively and this one came up a bit short. Otherwise the flavors were very good. It is definitely an easy drinker though pales in comparison to the Winter which was discontinued in 2002.

The mouthfeel is what really makes this beer interesting. It is really sour, similar only to one other beer that I have had before, New Glaruss sour brown. They share a closely similar appearance as well. The texture is also quite unique and rather like warn shoe leather or rawhide. This leathery quality seems to make its way into the aroma and taste as well. I cant say that I like it very much but I do suppose it could grow on me as my taste buds age and I continue to crave new and different beers. This one is definitely sui generis.

A: A slightly hazey, light amber beer with a finger of creamy and rocky white foam. The head has great retention, lasting a long time and leaving some lacing on the glass.

S: Initially a pilsner like Saaz hop and soft Pils malt aroma with that German import beer kind of light struck skunk. There are just enough faint aromas of orange and peppery phenols to let you know it's brewed with Belgian yeast. Moderately low German hops aroma, moderate Pils malt and a low soft alcohol.

T: Moderately-strong hops and orange peel-like bitterness with a moderate Pils malt sweetness dominate the flavor. There is a great tasting orange fruitiness with moderately-light peppery phenols. and a light spicy hops flavor.

M: Medium-light bodied with a moderately-high carbonation. It's slightly cream with a light CO2 dryness on the tongue.

O: A great beer that is just shy of excellent from the aroma being off. It might be from being misshandled in a green glass bottle that contributed to the beer being light struck but what ever it was the skunkiness overwhelms the fruity esters and spicy phenols in the nose. The fruit and spice is definitely in the flavor and their pretty wonderful.

A - A slight foamer. Pours a hazy deep straw color wit three fingers of white head. Head has very good retention and leaves some lacing.

S - Nice barnyard funk with some crisp aromas of green apple and a bit of grape. Some pepper and a faint sweetness.

T - Starts was nice crisp tartness. Not at all like mouth puckering sourness, just a bright taste that awakens the taste buds. Tartness has a bit of lemon and green apple, and is quickly followed by Belgian yeast earthiness, a bit of pepper. Taste is pretty light and crisp, but has a nice depth.

M - Mouthfeel is pretty light and crisp, but has an earthy depth as well. Finishes very clean and somewhat dry.

O - Not quite up there with regular Fantome, but still a very enjoyable saison.

750 ml bottle pours a dirty amber body with a 2 cm beige head that has excellent staying power and laces moderately well. Typical Fantome aroma is earthy, spicy, fruity, herbal, lemony, and yeasty. Some exotic spices seem to be lurking underneath, maybe grains of paradise. Mouthfeel is medium with a spritzy and velvety carbonation. Taste opens dry and herbal, with some caramel and floral hops. White pepper and coriander, maybe a pinch of ginger add a nice spiciness. Something exotic here, as well. Fresh orange notes creep into the profile midway through and stay to the end. Finishes dry and herbal. Wow! A masterpice of pastoral simplicity with an exotic complexity. Very nice.

The beer pours a hazy golden-orange color with a white head. The aroma is yeast with some lemons and a little bit of funk. The flavor is a lot of toffee with some spices. I also get some orange, caramel malt and yeast. A very malty, toffee-like saison and an interesting twist on the style. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Fantôme Hiver Saison pours hazy gold under a pure white, very finely bubbled 2-3” pillowy foam cap that slowly collapses to a ¼ - ½” film. It offers a mild floral, spicy fragrance with fruit – citrus with slightly over ripe fruit and light malts with a hint of barnyard. It is very dry and has an assertive hop finish. The carbonation and texture are very fine and soft. The beer is yeast driven but well balanced by the hops. Younger versions tend towards cidery while older have more lemony wine notes and the Brettanomyces gets bigger. Both are very good.

A 750ml green glass bottle of unknown vintage (though probably the most recent). Purchased recently from the Brewdog webshop. A winter saison brewed with spices.

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. A deep, hazy orange-amber hue with medium carbonation and fine sediment. Produces a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of banana, clove, bubblegum, spice, fruity yeast esters, earthiness, subtle caramel malt and faint stewed leaves. A warming whiff of booze in the background. Very nice.

Tastes of fruity yeast esters with a prolonged dry finish. Notes of banana, clove, coriander, spice, bubblegum, yeast esters, earthiness, faint caramel malt and stewed leaves. Well-attenuated with a hint of warming alcohol in the background. A subtle, spicy bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with good carbonation and lovely body. Pretty astringent, followed by an aftertaste of banana, spice, fruity yeast esters and earthiness.

Excellent - simple yet complex. Looks great, if rather murky. The aroma and flavour are intensely yeasty, with fruit and spice notes that remind me of a good hefeweizen (especially the banana). Great body with a perfectly judged texture. Nice and nicely done. A fantastic saison - well worth sampling if you have the chance.

The taste is sour, yet soft. Sour is complemented by sweet, yet reserved, notes of light caramel and fruit.

The mouthfeel is lacking when compared to the complexity of the smell and flavor profile of Hiver. A little too light and under-carbonated. Drinkability, however, is just right.

Overall Fantome Hiver posses amazing complexity, which is full of surprises and depth. I think everyone's pallet can mature by tasting this beer. It's sourness is never over powering,and match with the drinkability, Fantome has hit a home run.

Can I knock down a point for a green glass for appearance? Of no consequence when the bottle is kept inside a walk in cooler I guess. Brassy colored appearance, maybe a little lighter than that color, head, white, thin. Aroma was a little muted, seemed more yeasty than funky.

Taste, mild elements of that old funk seem on point, but then the beer had a remarkable carbonation that seemed very refreshing and anti-funk. Was shocked to see this was 8%, hid that very well. Kind of a flowery citrus in the mouthfeel. Liked that the yeast flavors were not clovey or too herbal. Dry. A little pricey to really consider having often, but a good beer.

I was really excited to try this beer, it was my first (and currently only) Fantome. The beer looked great, but unfortunately I seem to have gotten one of the skunked bottles that I have seen many people post about. Both the aroma and the taste were completely dominated by something that I can best describe as burning tires.

At first I though that maybe it was meant to be a kind of smokey saison, but after reading other reviews it is clear that this is not the case. Even if the taste had been intentional (which I am pretty sure it wasn't), it was not pleasant at all and most of it ended up going down the drain.

(Served in a tulip glass) cork says 086/407044
A- This beer pours a hazy brown body that is a bit dense with a sea of microbubbles gliding up the side. There is a creamy bubbly light tan head that last a good bit.
S- This beer has a cardamom and brown sugar note with a sweet dried orange perfume note. As the beer warms the aroma becomes more milk chocolate and citronella.
T- The tart cherry hint gives way to stale chocolate flavor and a finish of brett tartness and a nice red wine vinegar note.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat. D- I really didn't like the first few sips but as it opened up I really started to like it. The bright tartness has just a hint of jam and some soft farmyard notes with a milk chocolate note that sounds odd but all works together.